@Eiswald the power companies are privately owned and poorly maintained, from what I hear. Texas usually doesn't have snow, so it's not engineered for it.

I was looking at RVs a while ago, and the ones made ro withstand harsh weather and sub-freezing temperatures cost quite a bit more and had special fittings to keep the water parts from freezing and a whole bunch of extra insulation around the engine and passenger cabin.

So I'm thinking, maybe electrical grids are rated for weather too. Maybe the cold weather grids are sturdier but more expensive, and the warm weather ones are made of cheaper materials that can't withstand the sub-freezung temperatures.

Or maybe the whole grid in Texas is full of old, cracked wires that haven't been maintained in decades. Let's not forget that Pacific Gas and Electric, a California Corporation, that burned down Paradise in 2018:

https://www.fire.ca.gov/our-impact/remembering-the-camp-fire

So Texas may be brewing up a similar situation, but in more than one spot. Maybe their grid is so old and creaky, it's gonna break put and burn down some of their towns some day. Personally if I were in Texas, I would rely on gasoline powered generators, propane, and firewood as much as possible. Won't prevent a firestorm from burning down your house, of course, but you'll be warm, have light, and the use of various electrical appliances on a limited basis.